Change Is Hard

…but change is certain.

Tag Archives: Katie


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Weather swings through Michigan

Morning light.


February weather in Michigan is always unpredictable. Though it’s a short month it can often feel like the longest month of the year. This week we’ve gone from the Polar Vortex to temperatures in the 50s, from shoveling snow to flooded yards.

One morning Katie got me up early and I thought the light outside seemed an odd color. I was right. The sun was coming up and the low lying clouds were a color I’d never seen before.

Looks like some weather blowing in.

And that day, as I watched the sky get more and more interesting, I knew I needed to get somewhere with open spaces.

Early afternoon and the clouds start to break.

So I drove to Indian Springs, a park not too far away, with trails that wander over hills covered in tall grasses.

A dramatic sky always gets my heart rate going.

I should have worn boots because the trail was muddy, but wet feet didn’t dampen my enthusiasm for the sky that day.

And then yesterday we woke to ice. Rain fell on the cold ground and froze. Katie and I skated (figuritively) out to see what was what. We escaped the worst of it, but there was still a thin coating of ice on everything.

I loved the ice on the red twig dogwood shrubs.

It was all beautiful and Katie enjoyed wandering while I was busy getting shots of twigs and needles and leaves covered in ice.

Still lots of color even in winter.

She was content as long as I promised at least one shot of her. She is, after all, a princess, and used to being the center of attention.

I’ll sit for one portrait mama. But there are things I need to sniff, so hurry up.


I don’t know what the weather has in store for us the rest of the week, but I hope it’s just as photogenic as these past few days have been.

Winter shapes.

Katie says she’s up for an adventure.

Ice dripping.


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I’m not old

Katie here.

I’ve got it mama!

One evening this week I was moving from the floor onto one of my beds in the living room and as I settled in mama told daddy I looked old.

Really mama?!

Almost got that one!

I was sleeping! And I decided to get more comfortable. I wasn’t even really awake, not looking my best, not figuring I had to impress anyone. Besides, who’s calling who old anyway!

Throw it again mama!

And let me remind you that you and I played a rousing game of snowball out in the backyard that afternoon. Isn’t it possible that I was just tired from all the extra leaping and spinning and running in the snow? Did you think of that?

I’m a snow ninja!

I thought not.

Let me check out that snowball mama!

So before you go and start talking about how old I am and how you’re worried about me and stuff, just remember I have proof cause daddy took photos. You wanted to go inside before I did.

I was THIS close!

Just saying.

Mama. Geeze.

Got it!


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Shedding light on Lightroom

Saturday I attended an all day class intended to up my skill level in the photo editing software Lightroom. The first half of the day was spent learning about cataloging your inventory of photos within Lightroom.

Mama! Don’t you see this stupid stick right next to me?

Much of that went right over my head. I have a system to keep track of my photos, and though it isn’t perfect and would probably make little sense to anyone but me, I am not sure I’m ready to change.

Well, if you don’t look too close, that’s a little better mama. And I like the light!

After all, change is hard.

Cheerful little guy.

The second half of the day was spent in the development module, and was the reason I was there. Though I tried very hard to focus and listen while at the same time playing along on my laptop, some of it still escaped me.

Sitting in a spot of make believe sunshine.

But I learned a lot of the basics, and as I practice I’m sure I’ll get better.

Sunset at the park.

The photos in this blog were taken in the past week with the new Nikon Z6 camera. I’m posting the original, out of the camera image and then the adjusted, messed around with image.

A bit over the top.

Sometimes the changes are subtle, sometimes I’ve over adjusted just to see how far I could take it.

This little guy wanted a treat.

I still have so much to learn…but at least I have hope that I can learn, little by little, photo by photo I’m going to figure it out.

Still hungry.

And maybe I’ll reorganize all those thousands of photos I already have in my catalog.

Just remember who’s most beautiful around here mama.


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Sunshine makes me smile

Sunshine makes everything prettier.


We’ve had days and days of dark sky, rain and cold wind. Though we haven’t had snow or even temps as cold as usual for early January, it’s been pretty miserable.

And then the sun came out.

Hurry mama! We have to enjoy the sun while it’s here!

The temperatures climbed into the fifties and it smelled like spring. For a brief moment I felt the unfurling of joy at the thought winter was over.

And then I remembered it was only January and I laughed at myself.

Moss glowing deep in the woods.

We had two lovely days of sunshine and warm temperatures. That and my Katie-girl made me smile.

What made you smile this past week?

Smiling in January.


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It’s my birthday part 2

Katie here! I’m taking time out from my day-after-birthday-nap to let you know how it went. While it wasn’t spectacular with balloons and cake and hundreds of guests giving me presents, it was nice, and very specific to mama’s and my relationship.

We spent it in the woods.

Nobody out here but us!

You know mama can’t give me anything more special than a walk in the woods, right? No amount of toys or treats….wait a minute…let me revise that. No amount of toys could add up to the joy I get spending time in the woods with my mama. Especially with mama and my treats.

So yesterday afternoon, after I napped outside a good part of the morning, mama took me to two parks! First we went to my park here in town so that I could get a little antsy worked out. Plus she wanted pictures of me with this stupid grass.

Hey! It’s MY birthday, why do I have to sit over here?

I figured since it was my birthday I’d get double my usual fee for portrait sitting. Sounds fair, right? But noooooo. Mama’s new camera has a different sound when the shutter goes off so I didn’t recognize it, and mama got lots more images than usual before I got up and came for my reward.

I have a strict one click one treat contract and mama broke it!

After I got over it (cause what are you gonna do, right?) we went to mama’s favorite park. Again I ask you, if it’s my birthday why are we doing what mama loves?

At first I was all whiny and stuff cause it’s kinda far away and I had to sit in the back seat for longer than I felt a birthday princess should be confined. But I guess mama really does know best, because we ended up at Kensington Metro Park, and in a special spot that looks like nature trails but isn’t really a nature trail. (Cause they don’t let dogs on nature trails.)

I’m so happy to be out here!

Usually when we’re at this park we walk on the bike path, but that apparently stresses mama out because she has to always listen and watch for bikes and joggers headed our way.

I like walking on the bike path, there are tons of great smells!

I like to walk on the opposite side of the path than mama walks on, just on principle, and she’s worried about me tripping up somebody going by. Not to mention my propensity for barking and lunging at all moving objects within range of my mama.

Mama says all of that doesn’t make for a very relaxing walk.

So she found a spot with a track between two picnic areas. It was covered in leaves and smelled really really good. We found all sorts of pretty places, even though the light was ‘dead,’ a term mama used for the fact it was a flat grey day again.

Look at the beautiful color mama! No, not me, silly, the tree trunk!

We walked for a long way through the woods and down by the lake which was frozen. Mostly I got to be off my leash because we didn’t see anyone else there at all.

I’ll sit here, mama, if you want me to, but I’m not going to pretend that I like it.

But mama put my leash back on when we were near the lake. She could just imagine me exploring out on the ice and she has a vivid imagination. Silly mama, she knows I don’t get my feet wet. Still, she says her first responsibility is to keep me safe and I appreciate that about her.

I also appreciate that she’s a treat dispenser.

Did you happen to bring birthday cheese?

We had the best time! OK, mama did slip in the mud and maybe mess up her shoulder, the other one, not the same one she messed up a couple years ago, but I figure she’s a tough old broad….um…mama and she’ll be fine. It did slow down the number of pictures she took, so I was sort of grateful.

Don’t tell her I said that.

Thank you all for the happy birthday wishes you wrote on yesterday’s post. Gee, I got to get on here two days in a row! That’s probably a world-wide record or something.

There’s some green over here!

Mama says I shouldn’t get used to it but I’d like to point out that she gets more comments on my posts than most of her other posts. Combined.

Just saying.

Well, I guess I’ve monopolized your time long enough. Plus it’s time for me to bug mama about making dinner. I know. Dinner isn’t for four hours, but a girl’s got to keep things in line around here, and there’s no time like the present to remind her of her meal prep duties.

Have a wonderful Sunday everybody! I’ll see you around I’m sure. Mama’s got that new camera you know, and who better to capture in imagery than me?!

Talk later, your birthday girl Princess Katie.

PS: Mama says to tell you that these pictures are the way they came out of the camera, no editing required. So far she’s happy even though she hasn’t figured it all out yet.

Got another treat mama?


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It’s my birthday!

Katie here. Mama said it was OK for me to hijack her blog cause it’s not every day that it’s my birthday. I know I get spoiled every day, but that’s not the same thing. That’s just what’s due me as a princess.

Obviously.

We got sunshine!

But today, Saturday December 15, is my birthday! I am now a big mature girl of 12. Mama says I am too old for cake and ice cream and presents and that I should be happy to just go to my park for a birthday walk.

Does she think I’m going to buy that?

Whatcha mean no presents mama!

Well…going to a park for a walk is my most favorite thing to do. But geeze, mama already took me to two different parks this week. So she’s going to have to up the ante a bunch to make it a special enough walk to qualify as my birthday adventure.

Do I get an extra treat for standing up here?

The pictures I’m posting today are from our two walks. One was last Tuesday when we had our one day of sun. Mama said we shouldn’t waste it and we hurried right over to my park.

It was extra cold that day so I was very very happy. I trotted around that park like I was a puppy! I love it when it’s cold out. Mama? Not so much.

Yep, the pond’s frozen. Must be winter now.

She was wearing about 50 thousand layers and she was still cold, but she let me sniff wherever I wanted and we stopped to take a lot of pictures (of course).

Mama says it’s very hard to take a selfie with a sheltie. I personally think it’s very hard to take a selfie with a mama.

What’s that over there mama?!

Then on Thursday we woke to new snow all over my yard and mama said we shouldn’t waste that either, so she bundled me up in the car early in the morning before it all melted.

Are you going to make me sit in front of a bunch of stuff again today mama?

I was scared. Usually when we go somewhere in the morning I end up at the vet or the groomer or camp. But this time we ended up at a new park!

There was a nice wide path that had been mowed and it moved through the woods which were covered in the new, wet and sticky snow. It was beautiful!

It was hilly too, mama said we did the equivalent of 6 flights of stairs!

But not as beautiful as me!

I don’t know what I’m getting for my birthday, but mama got a new camera for an early Christmas present and Thursday was her first time taking pictures with it. Of course most of them were of me.

Don’t hate me because I’m beautiful.

Personally I don’t think she needed a new camera to take pictures of beautiful me. I look good no matter what camera she uses. I can’t help myself.

Which way should we go mama?

But anyway. We had a great time walking through the snow even though the sun didn’t shine until we got home. Mama says that figures. I don’t know what that means but I hope it means we get to go out again soon.

Come ON mama! You are sooooo slow!

Like today, for the promised birthday adventure. Maybe even without the silly camera.

A princess can only hope!

Happy Birthday to ME!


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Happy Thanksgiving

Katie would like to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving, even if you’re not here in the States. She says everyone has something to be thankful for and it doesn’t have to be a holiday in order to feel grateful.

She says she’s grateful for all of you that put up with and even enjoy her rants. And she says don’t tell her folks, but she’s thankful for them too. Even though they sent her off to camp for this particular holiday.

I’m grateful for all of you! And that mama takes me on walks.

She does, however, add that she has a long memory and doesn’t forget anything, so when they get back home she expects special princess-like treatment and if that is not forthcoming there will be a price to pay.

She expects mama to be caught up on sleep by then which would be a good thing, because once the sheltie-girl is in the house all sleep bets are off.

Enjoy your turkey day everybody, from Katie-girl and her people.

Katie-girl, our little princess